The protests in Maoming, Guangdong Province over a planned paraxylene (PX) plant continue to grow. At the same time, another battle is taking place on the Internet. On March 30, a netizen changed the toxicity of PX from "low" to "high" on the Baidu Encyclopedia, an imitation of Wikipedia provided by popular search engine Baidu.

The modification of this entry caught the attention of students from the Department of Chemical Engineering, Tsinghua University, one of the most prominent universities in China.

The students declared that the toxicity of PX is not as high as people think and suggested people to have an accurate knowledge of the chemical. They kept an eye on the definition of PX on the Baidu Encyclopedia day and night and corrected it once it was modified. So far, the Tsinghua students have won the online battle in defending the definition of PX.

According to chemical experts, the toxicity of PX is similar to that of ethanol or alcohol, an ingredient that can be found in daily drinks such as beer, wine and liquor. Many Asian countries are powerhouses of PX such as South Korea, Japan and Singapore. Yet the Chinese people's wariness toward PX began to show after a series of environmental protests in some Chinese cities took place in recent years.

The Tsinghua students have shown their scientific dedication. But the quandary is not whether the PX is mildly toxic or highly toxic but the fact that as long as any protest is against the government, people support it regardless whether it has any scientific basis.

Admittedly, the credibility of local governments in China is at a nadir. That's why even when the Maoming government said that it would not begin the PX plant project before society had achieved consensus, some people still tried to stir up further protests.

This lack of trust between the public and local governments demonstrates the stranded position of governments when dealing with public crises. For some officials, the local GDP growth brought by an industrial plant may help advance their political path, but the damage done to government credibility is irreparable, as people will not trust a government which pays no heed to environmental pollution and public concerns.

The public should refrain from its anti-government mentality and learn to ease their doubts by resorting to science. Having knowledge of the whole story and making rational judgment should be necessary before voicing opinions. But the authorities should publish clear and reasonable information to convince the public.